What's the Difference Between Lard and Shortening? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Lard and Shortening? ›

The difference between lard and vegetable shortening is that lard is made of pure animal fat and shortening is made of vegetable oil. When vegetable shortening was invented in 1911, it was very appealing because it was affordable and shelf stable. It could also be used in place of lard with very similar results.

The main difference between lard and shortening is what they're made from—lard is made out of animal fat while shortening is made from hydrogenated vegetable oil. Lard: Lard is a semi-solid cooking fat made from pork fat.

By the late 20th century lard began to be considered less healthy than vegetable oils (such as olive and sunflower oil) because of its high content of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol.

Similar to the shortening crust, the lard also produced a flat, crumbly pastry with noticeable greasiness. This one fared slightly better in the test because the lard provided more flavor than the shortening, with just a hint more richness. Still, we were unimpressed by the old-fashioned ingredient's performance.

Lard has many advantages when it comes to pie crust. “It creates a nice crispy crust, and it is easy to work with because of its high melting point,” De Sa Martins said.

Saturated fats are solid at room temperature. A diet high in saturated fats has been linked with elevated cholesterol levels and increased risk for heart disease, so it's best to limit your use of them. Butter, lard, palm oil and coconut oil are examples of saturated fats.

Butter is prized for its sweet, rich flavor and is our preferred fat for pie crust recipes, but its low melting point and overall makeup can make it difficult to work with. Unlike shortening or lard, butter is not 100% fat. It contains on average 80% butterfat, 10 to 16% water, and a small percentage of milk solids.

While they come from the same animal, bacon fat and lard differ in taste and function. Bacon fat has a smoky taste, while lard—rendered fat from the pig—has a neutral flavor. You can use bacon fat to add flavor to baked goods, gravies, and sautés, but lard primarily adds texture to fried or baked foods.

Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.

The Food Marketing Institute's FoodKeeper recommends storing unopened solid shortening, such as Crisco shortening, at room temperature for 8 months. After opening, store at room temperature for 3 months for best quality.

Is pie crust better with lard? ›

Yes, you can substitute lard for butter in pie crust. For the best flavor use a mixture of both, replacing up to half of the butter with lard to increase flakiness and retain a buttery flavor. What does lard do in pastry? Pastry made with lard is flaky and crisp, but is less flavorful than pastry made with butter.

The pros: Butter has the best flavor. A butter pie crust forms light, lofty, flaky layers while it bakes. The flakiness comes partially from the water content of butter, which evaporates as the pie bakes and turns to steam, separating and puffing up the layers in dough.

Made from the fat that comes from around the kidney and abdomen of the animal, leaf lard is considered the gold standard. It's soft and smooth and has little to no “porky” flavor, making it ideal for baked goods. It's also spreadable, making this the best lard for slathering on a piece of bread.

Choosing between shortening and lard comes down to personal preference. Both create a flaky, tender crust, are semi-solid, and are 100% fat. Swap one for the other in recipes. If you want to add additional flavor to the dish, lard is the right choice.

Lard contains more monounsaturated fat than butter, and nearly 2x more oleic acid, an essential fatty acid that helps lower your "bad" cholesterol levels. If you're concerned about your saturated fat consumption, there's good news here as well: lard has less saturated fat than butter.

Lard is higher in monounsaturated fats-the good kind. Vegetable oil, on the other hand, is high in polyunsaturated fats which is why they are liquid at room temps and also likely bad for you. Cold lard is easier to handle than warm lard so we recommend chilling your lard.